Retire Roadmap Q&A

Developer: Heylon Studio · Last updated: 27 September 2026

Welcome to the Retire Roadmap Q&A. Here you will find answers to common questions about setting up your assets, retirement spending, growth and inflation assumptions, withdrawals, and understanding your Roadmap results.

Retire Roadmap creates an illustration based on the information and assumptions you enter. It is designed for planning and educational purposes and does not provide financial, investment, tax, or legal advice or guarantee future results.

Use the Guide in the app for more on abbreviations and how the app works.

If your question is not here, use the support form.

About the app

What does Retire Roadmap do?

Retire Roadmap helps you explore whether the assets and income you add could cover your planned retirement spending over the period you choose. You can add stocks, crypto, savings, pensions, rental income, and other assets or income. The app uses the information you enter, together with your chosen growth and inflation rates, to create your retirement projection.

Is this financial advice?

No. Results are illustrative estimates for planning and education. They are not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and they are not a forecast of market returns.

What should I include?

Include money you expect to use in retirement. Examples: stocks and ETFs, crypto and other digital assets, cash and savings, a unit trust or similar fund, a pension or provident fund, rental income, and money you expect from a planned sale. Do not add a home or car you will keep using. If you plan to sell one, add the sale as a one-time Other amount in the year you expect the money.

Can I use Retire Roadmap if I am already retired?

Yes. Retire Roadmap can also be used if you are already retired. Enter your current assets and income, your estimated Annual Retirement Spending, and the assumptions you want to use.

The roadmap will project how your assets may change over your selected Roadmap Period and help you explore whether they could continue to cover your planned spending.

As with all Retire Roadmap results, the projection is based on the information and assumptions you enter and is intended as an illustration, not a guarantee.

Currency

Can I choose a different currency for each asset?

No. The plan uses one display currency, chosen in Settings. Every total and every amount you type for Savings, Pension, Rental, or Other is in that currency. If an asset is in another currency, convert it first with a currency converter such as XE, then enter the converted amount.

Do I convert stock and crypto prices myself?

No. Listed stock and crypto prices are fetched from market data and shown in your display currency. You convert only the amounts you type yourself.

What happens if I change the display currency later?

Totals on screen switch to the new currency. Other amounts you already typed stay as the numbers you entered, so enter those in the currency you intend to use. Spending is also in the display currency.

Stocks, crypto, and tickers

Are all stocks included?

No. Stock search looks up listed shares and ETFs on many major markets, not every stock exchange and not every listing. Type the company name and pick a ticker from the matches, such as TSLA for Tesla. If the name is not listed, it may not have a ticker this app can price. You can tap “Can’t find it?” and type a ticker you know. If the price still cannot be fetched, add the asset under Other and type the value yourself.

Are all cryptocurrencies included?

No. It is not a fixed list such as the top 100. Crypto search looks up the name you type and shows matching coins, with the better-known ones first, such as BTC for Bitcoin. It does not include every token. If yours does not appear, try “Can’t find it?” with the ticker. If the price still cannot be fetched, add the asset under Other.

Do I need an API key to fetch prices?

No. Stocks are priced from Yahoo Finance, with a built-in backup. Crypto uses public market data. An optional Finnhub key in Advanced Settings is only for troubleshooting a stock search. Other assets are never priced for you. For Other, you enter your own amounts.

Can I type a stock or crypto price myself?

No. For a listed asset you enter the name, ticker, quantity you own, and an expected growth rate. The price comes from the market when you add it, when the app opens if you have listed assets, and when you tap Fetch Latest Prices. To use your own number, add the asset under Other.

Can I add the same ticker twice?

No. Each stock or crypto ticker can appear once. Edit that asset and change the quantity if you buy more.

What is quantity?

For a stock it is the number of shares. For crypto it is the number of coins. The asset’s value is price times quantity. Other assets do not use quantity; you enter an amount.

Unit trusts, provident funds, and other assets

What about a unit trust?

A unit trust usually has no stock ticker in this app, so it will not get a live price. Add it as an Other asset. Use Savings if it is a balance you still contribute to, or choose Other and name it, for example “Unit trust”. Enter the current value in your display currency, after converting with a tool such as XE if needed, and set an expected growth rate.

What about a provident fund?

Add it under Other, then Pension. Enter the current balance in your display currency. If you are still paying in, choose Yes for a regular contribution, monthly or yearly, and a yearly increase. Use 0 for the increase if the contribution stays the same. The contribution end year defaults to the year before retirement, and you can change it.

What about a pension, retirement annuity, or similar fund?

Use Other → Pension, the same way as a provident fund: a current balance, plus optional contributions. The app does not apply pension-fund rules, tax, or legal withdrawal limits. You choose the growth rate and the amounts.

What if the asset is not a stock or a crypto?

Add it under Other and pick the closest type:

• Savings, when it is cash, a savings account, or a fund balance you contribute to.
• Pension, when it is a pension, provident fund, annuity, or similar balance.
• Rental, when someone pays you rent for a property, monthly or yearly.
• Other. Anything else, when none of the others fit. Give it a short name, such as consulting, royalty, or unit trust.

I know the ticker but search does not list it. What now?

On the name step, tap “Can’t find it?” and enter the ticker. The app still has to fetch a price. If it reports that the ticker was not found, capture the asset under Other instead of forcing a symbol.

Savings, pension, rental, and Other

How do Savings and Pension work?

Both use a current balance plus an optional regular contribution. The balance can be 0 if you only plan to add over time. Choose monthly or yearly, enter the amount, and set a yearly increase in that contribution. Use 0 if the contribution stays flat. Contributions normally stop the year before retirement unless you set another end year. The expected growth rate grows the balance. The yearly increase grows only the contribution.

If I choose No for a regular contribution, do I still enter a monthly amount?

No. No means balance only. The monthly or yearly contribution and its yearly increase are not used.

If I choose Yes, what do I have to enter?

You must enter the contribution amount. You can also enter a yearly increase. Leave the increase blank or type 0 if the contribution does not grow.

How does rental work?

Rental is income from renting out a property. Someone pays you each month or each year. Recurring rent can also have a yearly rental increase, which raises the rent itself. The expected growth rate is separate: it grows the money after it is in the plan. Leave the rental increase blank or 0 if the rent stays the same.

How does Other work?

Anything else, when none of the others fit. You name it, then choose a one-time lump or recurring income, monthly or yearly. You can also choose Yes to add a monthly or yearly contribution with a yearly increase. Say No if there is no extra contribution. One end year covers both the income and the contribution. Leave the end year blank if they should continue.

Why is my monthly amount turned into a much larger yearly figure?

The roadmap runs in calendar years. A monthly rent or contribution is multiplied by 12 so the plan can add one yearly total.

What is Start Year?

The first year that asset counts. Immediate means this calendar year. Use a later year for money that begins in the future, such as an inheritance, or rental income you plan to start later. For example, you might plan to rent out a beach house for a few years. Those assets appear under Starts later. They are not part of Current Portfolio Value until the start year, and they enter the roadmap from that year.

What is End Year?

The last year for recurring income or for contributions. Blank means no end date. For Savings and Pension contributions, the end year starts as the year before retirement. Change it if payments stop earlier or later.

What is the difference between expected growth and a yearly increase?

Expected growth applies to the balance in the plan. A yearly increase in contribution raises the amount you add each year, starting after the first contribution year. A yearly rental increase raises the rent each year. You can use one, both, or neither. Enter 0 if you do not want that amount to rise: a growth rate of 0 means the balance does not grow, and a yearly increase of 0 means the contribution or the rent stays the same each year.

Settings and how a year is calculated

What is retirement year?

The first calendar year the model withdraws money for living costs. Years before that have no retirement spending in the plan.

What is Roadmap Period?

How many years the projection covers, counted from this year on your device. It is the funding window you want to test, not a guarantee that money will last that long.

What is Annual Retirement Spending?

A rough yearly cost of living in today’s money, in your display currency. Include the living expenses you expect, such as housing, food, transport, travel, medical costs, insurance, utilities, and taxes. The app inflates that figure to your retirement year for the first withdrawal, then raises it each following year by your inflation rate. If you change retirement year or inflation, it recalculates from the same today’s amount.

What is inflation used for?

It grows today’s spending up to retirement and each year after that. It does not grow your assets. Each asset grows by the expected growth rate you entered for it. You can set inflation to 0%.

What is expected growth rate (CAGR)?

The average yearly percent you assume that asset will grow. You choose it for every asset, including ones you type yourself. Past performance does not promise a future result. A lookup hint in the app can help you look up historical figures; you still decide the number, and 0% is allowed.

When does growth start?

By default, growth starts next calendar year. Apply Growth Rate to current Year is Off, and most people can leave it Off. You can change Apply Growth Rate to current Year under Advanced Settings. Turn it On if you want growth to count in the current year as well.

What happens in each projected year?

The roadmap repeats these steps for every year, in this order:

1. Opening balance. The year starts with what was left at the end of the previous year. The first year starts with the assets that count now.
2. Money added. Contributions, rent, and one-time amounts that are due that year are added.
3. Growth. Each asset grows by its expected growth rate, when growth applies that year.
4. Spending. From your retirement year onward, the yearly spending amount is deducted from the assets. Years before retirement do not deduct retirement spending.
5. Available balance. The app will never withdraw more money from an asset than is available. If your available assets cannot fully cover the required spending for that year, the uncovered amount is recorded as a shortfall. Asset balances never fall below zero.
6. Closing balance. What remains is the opening balance of the next year.

Are tax and fees included?

No. Income tax, capital gains tax, fund fees, advice fees, transaction costs, required minimum distributions, pension-rule limits, and debt are not modeled. For a rough after-tax picture, enter after-tax amounts yourself.

What the results mean

What does “remain funded through the end of your plan” mean?

In the model, money lasts through the last year of your Roadmap Period. That year is shown in turquoise. It is an illustration from your inputs, not a guarantee.

What does “projected to run out” mean?

The combined balance reaches zero before the Roadmap Period ends. That year is shown in orange.

What does “Depleted in YEAR” on the Assets tab mean?

The first simulated year that one asset’s balance reaches zero. It does not mean the account was closed, sold, or taxed. It only describes the projection.

Why is a future pension missing from Current Portfolio Value?

Current Portfolio Value is what counts this year: listed assets, savings already started, and recurring income already active. An asset with a future start year is under Starts later until that year, then it enters the roadmap.

Can I hide an asset on the chart?

Yes. Use the tickbox next to an asset name above the chart to show or hide it. At least one asset must stay visible. Hiding an asset changes only the chart display. It does not delete the asset or remove it from the calculations.

Does a turquoise or funded result mean I definitely have enough money to retire?

No. A turquoise or funded result means that, based on the information and assumptions you entered, the model is able to cover your retirement spending through the end of your selected Roadmap Period.

Real investment returns, inflation, spending, taxes, fees, income, and other circumstances may differ from the assumptions used in your roadmap. The result is an illustration, not a guarantee that you have enough money to retire.

What should I do if my roadmap shows that my money runs out?

You can use Retire Roadmap to explore how different assumptions or changes affect the result. For example, you can test a different retirement year, retirement spending amount, contribution amount, growth assumption, inflation assumption, or withdrawal allocation.

In Advanced mode, you can also use the Scenario Presets to compare different combinations of growth and inflation assumptions. Retire Roadmap shows you the effect of the changes you enter. It does not recommend which financial decisions you should make.

How often should I update my roadmap?

There is no required schedule, but it is useful to review your roadmap whenever something important changes. For example, you may want to update it when your investments or savings change significantly, your contributions or planned spending change, your retirement year changes, your rental or other income changes, or you want to revise your expected growth or inflation assumptions.

You can also review your roadmap periodically to see how your current position compares with your previous assumptions.

Why has my roadmap changed since the last time I looked at it?

Your roadmap is based on your current assets, settings, market prices, and assumptions. If the market price of a stock or crypto asset changes, its starting value may change when prices are refreshed.

Your roadmap can also change if you update your assets, contributions, spending, retirement year, inflation rate, expected growth rates, withdrawal allocation, or Scenario Preset. This is why your roadmap should be viewed as a changing illustration rather than a fixed prediction.

Can I experiment with different numbers without changing my real investments?

Yes. Retire Roadmap is designed to let you explore different scenarios. You can change assumptions such as retirement spending, retirement year, inflation, expected growth, contributions, and withdrawal allocation to see how they affect the roadmap.

Changing a value in Retire Roadmap does not make any changes to your actual investments, bank accounts, pensions, or other financial accounts.

Basic mode and Advanced mode

What is Basic mode?

Basic mode provides the main features needed to create a retirement roadmap.

It contains four tabs: Settings, Assets, Roadmap, and Guide. Settings includes your display currency, retirement year, Roadmap Period, inflation rate, and annual retirement spending.

Withdrawals default to Proportional Allocation, meaning retirement spending is withdrawn from each asset according to that asset’s share of the available portfolio.

If you previously switched to Advanced mode and selected Custom Allocation, that selection remains active when you return to Basic mode. Your roadmap will continue using your Custom Allocation settings until you change the withdrawal method again in Advanced mode.

The Roadmap tab shows your Current Portfolio Value, a summary indicating whether the plan remains funded or runs out, and the roadmap chart. The detailed year-by-year table is not displayed in Basic mode.

What does Advanced mode add?

Snapshot, Compare Scenarios (Conservative, Base, and Aggressive), a choice of Proportional or Custom Allocation withdrawals, Apply Growth Rate to current Year, and the full year-by-year data table. Switch from the bottom of Settings. After you have a roadmap, leaving Settings or editing assets refreshes the projection.

What is Custom Allocation?

In Advanced, you type the percent of retirement spending taken from each asset. Those percentages are the withdrawal split. Current Asset Allocation on Snapshot is different: it shows each asset’s share of what you own today.

What are the Scenario Presets?

Scenario Presets are three one-tap tests available in Advanced Settings. They let you quickly see how different growth and inflation assumptions affect your retirement roadmap.

Each preset changes all asset growth rates and the plan’s inflation rate together. The rates you originally entered are stored as your Base values, so selecting Base restores them.

Your selected preset is saved with your plan.

If you return to Basic mode, the rates from the selected preset continue to be used, even though the Scenario Preset buttons are only available in Advanced mode.

The Snapshot page compares all three scenarios side by side. The highlighted year shows which preset is currently applied to your roadmap.

Scenario Presets are designed to help you compare different assumptions. They are not predictions of future market performance.

Subscription, privacy, and your data

Do I need to stay subscribed, or can I subscribe for just one month?

Yes, you can subscribe for one month, enter your assets and settings, and create your retirement roadmap. This will give you a projection based on your financial position and the assumptions you enter at that time.

However, retirement planning is not static. Over time, asset prices change, savings and investments change, spending may change, and your assumptions about inflation and expected growth may also change.

Keeping your roadmap up to date allows you to see how these changes affect your retirement projection. For example, you may want to update your asset values, contributions, planned retirement spending, inflation assumptions, or expected growth rates as your circumstances and expectations change.

Retire Roadmap is therefore designed not only as a once-off calculation, but as a tool you can return to periodically to update your information and see whether your retirement roadmap is still on track.

You are not required to remain subscribed. How often you update your roadmap is entirely up to you.

Does Retire Roadmap connect to my bank or investment accounts?

No. Retire Roadmap does not connect to your bank account, brokerage account, pension provider, crypto wallet, or other financial accounts.

You enter your own asset information. For supported stocks and crypto, the app retrieves market prices, but it does not access or control your investment account.

How many assets can I add?

You can add up to eight assets. Yearly includes 7 days free for new subscribers, then the plan renews unless you cancel. Monthly has no free trial. Lifetime is a one-time payment with no trial. Exports and an ad-free experience are included.

Can I export the roadmap?

With a subscription you can export from the year-by-year table in Advanced: clipboard, PDF, or Excel. With more than four assets, the app asks you to use Excel instead of PDF so the columns stay readable. Basic mode has the chart only.

Who charges me, and how do I restore my subscription?

Apple or Google handles payment. The app does not see your card. To restore, open the ⋮ menu and tap Restore purchases, using the same Apple ID or Google account. Refunds are requested from Apple or Google, not from Heylon Studio. Links are on the support page.

Is my plan stored in an account online?

No. There is no Retire Roadmap account. Assets, settings, and projections stay on this device. When prices or exchange rates refresh, the app contacts market services with the ticker or rate request only, not your spending figures. Reset all data is in the ⋮ menu and clears the plan on this device.

How do I edit or remove an asset?

On the Assets tab, tap the pencil icon for the asset you want to edit. You can change the name, quantity or amounts, growth rate, and the Other details. You cannot type over a live stock or crypto price. Tap the trash icon to remove the asset.

Where are the longer explanations inside the app?

Use the Guide in the app for more on abbreviations and how the app works. Tap the ⓘ icon beside a field for a short explanation of that item. Legal Disclaimer & Assumptions, linked from the Guide, covers what the model leaves out, such as taxes and fees.